Beam or girder construction



July 16, 1935. A, L LAMBERT BEAM 0R GIRDER CONSTRUCTION Filed April 13, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 II(N EN TOR ATTORNEY y 1935. A. L. LAMBERT 2,008

BEAM OR GIRDER CONSTRUCTION Filed April 13, 1934 2 Sheets-Sham. 2

INVENTEER 4/7 10 J29 10 14 13 B I1\AV l1 A- ATTORNEY Patented July 16, 1935 PATENT OFFICE.

2,008,557 BEAM on GIRDER CONSTRUCTION Albert L. Lambert,

Nat-berth, Pa., assign or to Heintz Manufacturing Company,

Philadelphia,

Pa, a corporation of Pennsylvania. Application April 13, 1934, Serial No. 720,350

4 Claims. (01. 189-34) This invention relates to beam or girder construction, and one of the principal objects of this invention is to provide a beam-or girder construction and method of assembly, which permits assembly of sections of structure, for instance, deck or root sections, at a shop or plant, and the installation of the sections, as such, in their final location thereafter; and a further'dbject of this invention is to provide a beam or girder construction comprising" sections adapted to be united to form a rigid and sturdy beam or girder; and another object of this invention is to provide a beam or girder comprising sections I each adapted to be pro-assembled to a different structure section or unit, and adapted on final installation to be united in a. variable relation.- ship, whereby errors of assembly, both in the assembly of the structuresections or units in the shop, and in the structure in which the structure sections are finally assembled may be compen-' sated for without impairing the rigidity, strength or effectiveness of the beam, or requiring repo sitloning or change of any part already in place, or making necessary any distortion of elements or additional strains due to such errors.

A further object of this invention is to provide a beam or girder construction of the character described, and a construction which is comparatively light in weight, is adapted to be built up of sheet metal, is extremely sturdy, rigid and effective and may be finally installed and assem bled conveniently, quickly and without great expense.

Another object of this invention is to provide a method of constructing and installing a beam or girder, and assembling and installing structural units associated'therewith.

Other objects of this invention will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

In accordance with this invention the beam or girder is made in two disjoined longitudinal sections so that each section may be pre-assembled along an edge of a deck, roof or floor sectlon, or the like, to facilitate shop manufacture and shipping to the place of installation in rather small units, the deck, roof or floor sections being installed in the final structure with the beam sections of diiferent units in proximity, the spacing of the beam sections being variable and in this way errors of assembly both in the factory and on the structure on which the installation is made may be compensated for. Means are provided for rigidly and firmly uniting the compensatingly positioned sections into a rigid and strong beam or girder structure. The width of the beam, so established, compensates for and conceals any assembly errors and avoids any distortion or strains due to any such errors. Obviously the invention may be expressed in many difierent specific designs and organization of the .and is taken on the line 4-4 of disjoined longitudinal sections, as well as in a variety ofdilierent specific means for uniting these sections into a permanent beam or girder structure after the longitudinal sections have been properly spaced in accordance with the specific conditions of their location and installation.

However, in order that a clearer understanding of this invention may be had, attention is now directed to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application, and illustrating certain possible specific embodiments of this invention, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a fragment of deck, roof or floor comprising a plurality of sections and including beam or girder construction embodying this invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view, partly in section and partly broken away, of a portion of the structure shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of a portion thereof, and is taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of a portion thereof,

Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged, centrally broken end view, showing the longitudinal sections united into a permanent beam or girder structure; and

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5. showing a possible modification of the beam or girder structure.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, each disjoined longitudinal section of the beam or girder, as shown, comprises a vertical longitudinal web plate I along the top of which is secured, as by welding, the vertical central web 2 of a Z-shaped strip, having a flange 3 along the bottom edge of web 2 extending therefrom and from web plate I, and having a flange 4' extending over the top of web plate I and terminating in a downwardly extending flange 5. One edge, 6, of a horizontal strip 1 lies on and is secured, as by welding, to the flange 4, this edge 6 preferably being depressed below the remainder of strip 1 so that when the upper portions of the longitudinal beam or girder sections are secured together, in establishing the permanent beam or girder structure, by means of a metal strip 8 seated on portion 6 and welded thereto, as at 9, the top surface of strip 8 may come flush with the top surface of the part of strip 1 which extends outwardly of the Web 2.

An angle strip I8 is secured, as by welding, along the lower edge of web I and a channel strip H is secured, as by welding, to the flange 12 of strip H, the portion l3 of the channel strip, and which extends inwardly of web I, being displaced so that when the lower portions of the longitudinal beam or girder sections are secured together, in establishing the permanent beam or girder structure, by means of a metal strip l4 seated against portion l3 and welded theretag sat IS, the outer, or under, surface of strip M may be flush with the under surface of channel portion ll.

The two disjoined longitudinal beam or girder sections are of similar, but complementary, construction, and are adapted to be disposed in variable proximity to each other, as shown. When in position they are adapted to be united by means of the longitudinal strips 8 and M, which are welded to both sections, thus forming a perma-. nent closed beam or girder structure which is extremely strong and rigid and of a width which is adjusted in accordance with the special conditions of the specific structure in which the beam is, installed, and to compensate for errors of assembly.

If desired, the beam sections may be provided with further reenforcement, such as channel pieces l6, secured to web I, or by any other suitable reenforcing and stiiIening members, as desired.

With a. segmental beam or girder construction embodying this invention, sections of structure, s1 2:2 as sections of deck, roof, floor, or the like, having a beam section along one or more edges, may be pre-assembled at a shop or plant and then shipped to the place where they are to be used tioned, by placing the uniting strips 8 and I4 along the top and bottom of the girder sections and welding the strips to both sections.

Obviously, the precise form and structure of the pro-assembled deck, roof or floor sections may vary considerably, and these sections at the edges where the sectional beam or girder structure embodying this invention is not provided may be mounted and secured in final location by any suitable means, which are well known and form no part of this invention.

In the modified segmental beam or girder construction illustrated in Fig. 6 and embodying this invention, each main section comprises a vertical web plate having an angle strip 3| extending along the lower edge of and welded to the outside surface of web 30 and having an inverted channel strip 32 extending along the upper edge of and welded to the inner surface of web 30 with the channel disposed inwardly of web 30. A depressed edge portion-33 of an attachment strip 34 seats along and is welded to the body of the inverted channel strip 32. Both beam or girder sections are similar and complementary to each other. These complementary beam or girder sections may be united at the top by means of a metal strip 35 seating alum and welded, as at 36, to the portions 33 of both girder sections, and may be united along the lower edges by means of a metal strip or plate 31 which extends along and. is welded, as at 38, to the outwardly extending flanges 39 of the angle strips 3|. If desired, strip 31 may have an upwardly extending flange 40 mitted by the uniting means allows errors of as-- sembly both in the building of the deck,.floor or roof sections, and in the structure in which such sections or the beam sections are finally installed, to be compensated for and to be hidden in the final width of the completed beam or girder structure.

As many changes can be made in the construction, and as many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention can be made without departing from the scope of this invention, it is understood that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanyi drawings be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What I claim is:

1. In construction of the character described, in combination, thin plate sections having depending therefrom at their adjacent edges beam forming members, the beam members having ledges, and strips connecting the ledges of adjacent beam members to form continuous plating having a box beam support.

2. In construction of the character described, in combination, thin plate sections having attachment strips along their adjacent edges and having depending from said strips beam forming members, the beam members having ledges along their lower edge portions, and strips connecting adjacent attachment strips and the ledges of adjacent beam members toform continuous plating having a box beam support.

3. A sheet metal box beam or girder of the character described, comprising two longitudinal spaced sheet metal side plates, an angular reenforcing strip secured along the upper edge of each plate and having an inwardly directed horizontal ledge portion terminating in a depending flange, an angle iron secured along the lower portion of each plate and having anoutwardly 'extending ledge along the lower edge of the plate, a strip connecting the upper ledges of the two upper reenforcing strips together, and a strip connecting the ledges of the two lower angle irons together to form the box beam or girder.

4. A sheet metal box beam or girder of the chara strip connecting the upper, ledges of the two upper reenforcing strips together, and a strip connecting the ledges of the two lower angle irons together to form the box beam or girder, and a metal strip secured along each of the upper reenforcing strips and having an outwardly directed attachment portion for deck or roof plates. ALBERT L. LAMBERT. 

